Wan Jian returns to his clan!

Chapter 239 Overpowering the Three Divine Monks, Sword Pointing at the Black Dragon Platform

"Heaven cherishes life. Why must General Lu be so ruthless? We, who are outsiders, have always stayed away from the conflicts between the two countries. Even if we choose to protect ourselves, we will not make any big mistakes."

The monk Fazheng, his face full of bitterness, clasped his hands together and pleaded.

The abbot, who had previously maintained a composed and dignified demeanor, now truly understood that this hurdle would be extremely difficult to overcome.

The enemy was determined to kill, and led a large army to attack, intending to wipe out the entire family.

They were even more troublesome than the Northern Zhou army.

Lu Wubing shook his head: "Abbot Fangzheng is mistaken. Why don't you go and talk to the Northern Zhou soldiers about the virtue of cherishing life?"
Look at the twenty-eight cities of Jingzhou, where people are suffering and death, every household is in ruins, and corpses lie everywhere.

Our Great Li has always been lenient towards those in the martial arts world. Now that the nation is in peril, how can we forget that when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact?

The palaces and mansions on this mountain are incredibly luxurious, the food, clothing, and daily necessities of your ten thousand monks are exquisite, and the fertile fields stretch for dozens of miles below, with tens of thousands of tenant farmers. Your disciples, who descend the mountain to become officials and generals, enjoy even more lavish stipends…

You enjoy such blessings, yet instead of thinking of repaying them, you turn around and surrender to the Northern Zhou, allowing the barbarians to slaughter your compatriots.

How can one have the face to stand in this world with such behavior?

Since we're already enemies, then bring it on! Let's fight to the death. Wouldn't that prove the saying, "Every cause has its effect, and retribution will come"?

"Amitabha."

Just as Abbot Fazheng was speechless, three Buddhist chants came from afar.

Three aged voices came from the back mountain, flowing continuously and echoing through the sky.

In a flash, three old monks appeared before everyone's eyes.

The man on the left has a gaunt face, sunken eyes, and is all skin and bones. He is dressed in a gray robe and seems to have crawled out of a dry grave.

The aura of decay could not be concealed; its vitality was extremely weak.

Even if someone said that he would collapse on the ground from exhaustion the next moment, no one would doubt it.

The old monk in the middle had a ruddy face, a square face, large ears, and a broad body.

With hands clasped together at the chest, he stood like a majestic mountain. Although no true energy or blood could be sensed, he commanded respect.

On the right is an old monk with a very pleasing face, his eyes slightly curved in a smile, and a large belly sticking out.

He has a friendly and approachable demeanor, always smiling and seemingly easy to get along with.

"Greetings to my three senior uncles."

Upon seeing this, Fa Zheng's expression immediately changed drastically.

These three senior uncles have been in seclusion in the back mountain for decades and have not shown themselves for some time.

I heard that thirty years ago, the three senior uncles joined forces to fight against the Dragon King of Northern Zhou, but the outcome is unknown to the world.

All that is known is that after that battle, Yuwen Yuan, the Black Dragon King of Northern Zhou, retreated to the northern border, while his three senior uncles went into seclusion to cultivate, hoping to take another step forward and explore the supreme wonders.

Before he went into seclusion, some rumors were spread.

He claimed that he would not leave the seclusion until he had thoroughly understood the essence of heaven and earth and faced the danger of his entire family being wiped out.

Their simultaneous appearance at this moment clearly indicates that they sensed the approaching people from the mountain, and that even the entire mountain's strength was insufficient to stop them—a true crisis of annihilation. Therefore, they had no choice but to appear.

'I wonder how much of the true meaning of heaven and earth they have grasped, and whether they have broken through to the Unity Realm?'

Monk Fazheng turned his gaze but did not sense the strange power that merged with heaven and earth, and his heart was filled with great sorrow.

Knowing that his three senior uncles had ultimately failed, even though they had made progress, they had not achieved a fundamental breakthrough...

The choice I made last time may have been the biggest mistake of my life.

"This humble monk is Minghui."

"This humble monk understands the mind."

"This humble monk, Ming Shi, greets General Lu."

Instead of directly calling for a fight, the three old monks reprimanded Abbot Fazheng.

"Fazheng, effective immediately, you shall resign from your position as abbot and lead all the monks of the temple to follow General Lu to the battlefield to atone for your sins. From this day forward, your life and death are in the hands of fate, and you shall not return to the mountain without achieving great merit."

The burly old monk Mingxin said calmly.

"Yes, I obey my master's decree."

Fa Zheng hurriedly agreed, his face ashen.

"Faming, from this day forward, you will assume the position of abbot and, together with some ascetic monks from the Prajna Sutra Repository who are unfamiliar with martial arts, take care of children under the age of ten. From now on, you will focus on meditation and worship Buddha, and will no longer concern yourself with matters of the martial world."

A slender, refined, and somewhat taciturn middle-aged monk stepped forward, his eyes calm, and bowed respectfully: "I humbly obey my master's decree. From this day forward, I will only chant Buddhist scriptures and practice meditation, and instruct my disciples..."

"Wait a minute."

Lu Wubing suddenly spoke up.

The appearance of the three old monks earlier, who made arrangements for personnel matters in the temple and for all the warrior monks in the temple to join the Dali army, can be considered an indirect admission of their mistakes, but it is not enough.

"The one-armed monk once spent his life wandering the world, saving countless lives. Later, he reached the realm of a supreme grandmaster and transcended the void. I deeply admire him."

Thirty years ago, the three eminent monks Minghui, Mingxin, and Mingshi fought valiantly against the Black Dragon King of Northern Zhou, forcing him to withdraw from the territory of Dali. I admire them greatly.

To be honest, Dafan Temple had done a great service to the world and the people, and it also received many benefits. The people supported Dafan Temple, so it was not a case of them owing anything.

However, the fact that Abbot Fazheng surrendered to the Northern Zhou and allowed the barbarian troops to trample across Jiangnan was too bad and could not go unpunished.

Besides having all the warrior monks join the army to atone for their crimes, the fertile fields at the foot of the mountain and the grain stored in the temple must be given up...

Now all the land in each prefecture and county belongs to the imperial court, and grain is distributed according to the number of people. Apart from land awarded for military merit and other rewards, each person can only receive ten mu (approximately 0.2 hectares) and must pay taxes according to the law.

"This……"

The three old monks were all taken aback.

The monks around all changed their expressions drastically.

This has undermined the very foundation of Dafan Temple.

If the land is handed over to the government and each person only receives a small share, and they still have to pay taxes, wouldn't these monks become farmers?

Then what time and what resources are left to study scriptures and practice martial arts?

A buzzing sound came from the room.

If it weren't for the fact that over a hundred people had been killed earlier, leaving the ground covered in blood, someone would probably be protesting now.

Lu Wubing ignored him and continued, "From now on, all monks in the world will be required to pass an examination on Buddhist scriptures and doctrines. Only those who are proficient in them will be allowed to register as monks."

Otherwise, it will not be recognized.

The consequences of anyone becoming a monk without authorization are severe. As for the quota for monks nationwide, that will be discussed later.

These words caused an uproar that could no longer be contained, and all the monks' eyes turned red.

It not only severed the foundation, but also cut off any future path.

They practice martial arts; how could they possibly know anything about Buddhist scriptures?
Let alone the assessment, they can't even understand it. Most monks can only chant "Amitabha Buddha". They forget the dry Buddhist scriptures as soon as they hear them. Some of them can't even write.

That's not all.

In the future, the number of people who become monks or nuns should be limited.

Anyone who uses their brain to think about it will know what Lu Wubing meant by those words.

It's impossible for a temple to arrange for tens of thousands of people to become monks. Giving them thirty or fifty spots is probably considered a sign of respect for Buddha.

In that case, is Dafan Temple still Dafan Temple?
"Don't say I'm being disrespectful, three venerable monks, how about we have a friendly competition today?"

If the three of you join forces, you can withstand ten of my moves without being defeated. This general will not go too far, but will simply take the monks away without disturbing the Great Brahma Temple in the slightest.

If the three of you join forces, you can't withstand ten moves. Why don't you three also join the army and contribute your strength to the war to destroy Zhou?

To put it bluntly, Lu Wubing has taken a liking to these three old monks.

Although they never made a move.

Judging from their aura, they are even more accomplished than the Venerable Master Mingfa of the Guizhen Realm in the Sutra Repository. It is estimated that their skills are far superior to Mingfa's.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to block the Black Dragon King of Northern Zhou, one of the eight kings of the world, thirty years ago.

Moreover, thirty years have passed, and even if they haven't made great progress, their cultivation levels will have increased considerably.

Such an opponent greatly helps Lu Wubing assess his own strength.

The greatest help, of course, is to deal with any potential experts that might emerge from the Northern Zhou.

Of course, if they are unwilling, then recruiting these old monks into your ranks will be of no use.

To gain their full support, one must win them over on both a spiritual and practical level.

Once this battle is won, Dafan Temple will have no chance of further setbacks and will be at the mercy of others.

The Buddhist community across the world has basically settled down.

As for the Taoist sects, besides the Three Divine Peaks, there is only the True Martial Sect.

The Three Peaks are "one of our own," so it's easy to talk to them.

As for the Zhenwu Sect, once we bring the power to subdue the Dafan Temple and go to them, their leader, Daoist Xuyuan, will likely become quite pragmatic.

"Is this true?"

It was also the Venerable Master Mingxin who spoke.

Even with his composure, he couldn't help but show a slight smile of relief at this moment.

They had little confidence in defeating this unusually young general.

the reason is simple.

The three of them secluded themselves and did not concern themselves with worldly affairs.

But they haven't really lost contact with the outside world.

We still need to eat, and we also need to hear important news from both the mountain and the valley.

Yuwen Shenjiang of the Northern Zhou Dynasty led 100,000 barbarian soldiers to attack Li, sweeping across the land and even threatening the Dafan Temple on the mountain.

Furthermore, Dafan Temple also sent two eminent monks of the Fa generation to assist them.

As a result, the 100,000-strong army was wiped out, and Yuwen Chui died on the spot, not even lasting three moves against Lu Wubing.

The news was so bizarre, but the facts were undeniable, leaving them no choice but to believe it.

Although Yuwen Chui was weaker than the Black Dragon King, he was no weaker than any of the three of them.

He is definitely a rare top-tier expert.

These kinds of people were actually beaten to death.

How could they possibly have much confidence?
When Yuwen Chui came up the mountain, Abbot Fazheng's choice was too hasty. Although the three of them felt it was a bit inappropriate, they couldn't stand up for themselves.

On one hand, Dali was indeed weaker, and the Northern Zhou was extremely powerful, so Dafan Temple really couldn't defeat them.

On the other hand, the Dali court has lost popular support in recent years, and the common people are full of resentment. It's not worth fighting and dying for them. Let's not talk about things too far back.

Thirty years ago, the Tianxing Sect gambled its entire destiny, shattering the Northern Zhou Demonic Sect into pieces and forcing the Northern Zhou army to refrain from invading the south.

Then, the Tianxing Sect fell into ruin.

As it turns out, it was unfair to oneself to talk about morality and loyalty to the Ji family royal family.

If they really wipe out their own resources, do you believe the Ji family could easily destroy their entire power?

Of course, there is another reason, namely the monk Fazheng.

Over the years, although Abbot Fazheng has not taken any major measures, he has been very thoughtful and has quietly and effectively managed the Dafan Temple to make it thrive.

Among the world's top powers, there are one mountain, one temple, three sacred peaks, seven gangs, eight sects, and twelve families. No matter which one it is compared to, Dafan Temple ranks at the very top.

The number of disciples at the temple gates exceeded 10,000 for the first time ever. The temple was rich and the monks had more than enough to enjoy. A number of mid-level experts grew up.

If it can remain stable for several more decades, Dafan Temple might be able to suppress the entire world with the power of a single temple.

At that time, the temple's fame will spread far and wide, and branch temples will be opened... It will not be a pipe dream for the temple to surpass the achievements of all the patriarchs.

Under such circumstances, Abbot Fazheng naturally enjoyed high prestige.

Even the monk Mingfa of the Sutra Repository fully supported him.

The three old monks who were cultivating in seclusion on the back mountain naturally couldn't very well criticize Fazheng for anything he had done wrong.

If they force their way out, causing internal strife and chaos, Dafan Temple could easily weaken.

Given all these concerns, they simply let it go.

It can only be said that every new emperor brings a new court.

The imperial court was like this, and so were the religious sects.

The previous abbot, Master Mingxin, also had no right to contend with Fazheng.

Unless you tear off the mask.

But why bother?
Of course, that was in the past.

Now that Abbot Fazheng has made a mess of things, and Dafan Temple is about to be destroyed, there are some things that can no longer be taken into consideration.

They can't be allowed to try to smooth things over anymore.

Then again.

Although they were very dissatisfied with Abbot Fazheng's misjudgment, which led to the extermination of the entire family, the three old monks did not want to watch Dafan Temple become a fish on the chopping block, cut in half, and have its foundation and future cut off.

At this moment, Lu Wubing unexpectedly issued a challenge.

This was exactly what the three of them were thinking.

Winning this match presents an opportunity.

Thinking of this, not only did the monk Mingxin's eyes light up, but the two monks, Minghui and Mingshi, one thin and one fat, were overjoyed.

"General Lu is incredibly magnanimous, and this humble monk is deeply grateful. After the victory, this humble monk and his disciples will certainly gather to cheer for the General."

"Let's talk about it after we win."

Lu Wubing shook his head and chuckled.

What are you thinking?

If you're already thinking about victory, wanting to escape to a life of leisure and enjoy wealth before even fighting, you shouldn't be making such plans.

If it weren't for the fact that three experts at the peak of the Returning to Truth Realm were truly rare, why would they have let these monks off so easily today?
Did they think that the crime of defecting to the Northern Zhou was not serious enough to warrant the execution of the entire family?
"please."

"please."

Both sides stood still, and the crowd stepped back.

Knowing the importance of this battle, the monk Mingxin was not careless in the slightest.

The word "please" was uttered.

With the left hand supporting the sky and the right hand probing the ground in a tiger claw stance, the posture resembles subduing a dragon and tiger. The elbows are slightly brought inward, and a deep breath is taken.

This breath caused a fierce wind to swirl around it, as if it had sucked up all the air within a hundred feet radius.

In an instant, his body grew wildly, reaching about sixteen feet in length, like a giant. A glowing arc of light appeared behind his head and around his body, as if the Buddha himself had appeared in the world.

He seemed to be practicing his moves on his own, showing no intention of attacking whatsoever.

As their claws crossed, for some reason, they struck Lu Wubing's chest and abdomen.

When it moves, its feet are silent, and its huge body is like a ghostly shadow under a candlelight, moving as swiftly as the wind, yet without the slightest sense of eeriness.

On the contrary, it was magnificent and righteous, with a righteous spirit filling the mountains.

The power was concentrated to its extreme, with no leakage whatsoever.

If we say that the Venerable Master Mingxin attacked head-on, his strength and power were immense.

Then, the Venerable Master Minghui on the left is extremely exquisite.

With a single palm strike, the five fingers flicked out in quick succession.

It seems that all palm techniques and finger techniques in the world can be performed in a single palm strike.

The illusions of the palms filled the void, each evolving into a unique and wondrous technique.

When everyone was dazzled and wanted to take a closer look... those thousands of fingers transformed into one palm, which struck Lu Wubing's back even faster than the monk Mingxin.

One side wins by force, the other by skill.

When the two joined forces, their power was even more magnificent, sealing off all directions.

It seems that Lu Wubing was forced to react to each move as it came, and he had no other choice but to deal with it hastily.

Of course, there is no need for a second method.

Lu Wubing stood still, without turning his head, his body slightly turned to the side, his left hand reaching back to form a sword with his fingers, and he also evolved hundreds of sword moves, turning them into one sword.

He clenched his right fist and threw a punch, causing the void to tremble.

The fist was pitch black, swallowing everything and shattering everything.

boom……

Two impacts, one loud and one soft, vibrated the eardrums, causing the figures around to sway.

The energy is released and then immediately withdrawn.

The old monk Mingxin, who was attacking head-on, had a red face that instantly turned as white as paper. He spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered backward as if he had been electrocuted.

He retreated seven steps, creating seven huge, deep pits in the square.

With each step back, his breath weakened, and by the time he stood still, his eyes were slightly vacant, and his whole body was drenched in sweat.

Meanwhile, the old monk Minghui behind Lu Wubing, for some unknown reason, accidentally collided with his palm and sword finger.

His pale face suddenly turned blood red, blood dripped from his palms, and his five fingers twisted.

His body was half-bent off the ground, and he flew backward.

A sharp-eyed person could see that a deep sword hole had appeared on his left shoulder, piercing through from front to back, with wisps of electric light swirling around it.

Just one glance at it is enough to send chills down your spine.

The round-faced, pot-bellied monk Ming Shi hadn't been idle; he had already made his move.

A white lotus-like aura quietly appeared beneath Lu Wubing's feet, his eyes gleaming with a ghostly light.

Suddenly, with a snap, blood seeped from the corners of his eyes, and he let out a muffled groan... The pores around his body exploded, splattering out a cloud of blood mist.

The three old monks retreated simultaneously, and all of them suffered a great loss.

His eyes were filled with horror.

The monk Minghui tried to outsmart him, but Lu Wubing countered with his own cleverness.

By merging all the swords in the world into one, no matter how the old monk Minghui changed his moves, he would still have to suffer this blow. He was wounded and forced to retreat.

As for the Venerable Master Mingxin, he suffered the most.

He tried to overcome force with force, strength with strength, but Lu Wubing transformed his fist style into a hammer style, unleashing a Heaven-Shattering Hammer that made his muscles and bones weak, his teeth loose, and his internal organs shift, almost causing him to collapse and vomit blood.

Of all his skills, he only possessed 70%.

The old monk Ming Shi felt somewhat aggrieved.

He lost in a completely bewildering way.

Before his two senior brothers could make a move, he had already used his signature White Lotus Purification View to launch an attack with his mental power, hoping to drag his opponents into an illusion.

Unexpectedly, a fierce and extremely vicious sword shadow flashed before his eyes and slashed straight into his mind.

That pure white lotus, like snow meeting the scorching sun, melted instantly...

The sword light pierced straight into his sea of ​​consciousness, seemingly splitting him in two.

The old monk Mingshi retreated, touching his head as he did so. For a moment, he thought he was dead.

Either their heads were split open, or their skulls were cut off.

My vision went black, and I almost fainted.

"What kind of trick is this?"

It was only then that Ming Shi remembered that the Tianxing Sect possessed a technique called the "Dragon Subduing Sword," which also included the Heart Sword Technique, specializing in beheading and known as "Leaderless Dragons."

In the battle of wills and spirits, it was clear that he was at a disadvantage.

His head was throbbing with pain, so how could he dare to fight again?
Then Lu Wubing chuckled: "The three of you are indeed extraordinary. I have taken one move from each of you, so I will take one from you as well."

"stop……"

Mingxin quickly waved her hand: "General Lu, there's no need to fight anymore, you've won."

From this day forward, my two fellow disciples and I will be at your command, whether it's charging into battle or storming the Black Dragon Platform.

"good."

Lu Wubing was slightly taken aback, and stopped fighting after making only one move.

The old monk was cunning enough.

However, as long as the goal is achieved, everything else is negotiable.

Dafan Temple was thus incorporated into the army, and the Jianghu (martial arts world) of the South was finally at peace...

……

(End of this chapter)